Closure for clean-out openings



1,636,125 y 1927' c. E. CHAPMAN CLOSURE FDR CLEAWOUT OPENINGS ori inal Filed oct. 16, 1925 hv. 2 f7 w r- A 10 gwuenloz Patented July 19, 1927.

I UNITED-"STATES CHARLES E. CHAPMAN, or oRT EDW RD, N W YORK; AssmnoR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MEN'rs, .OF ONE-HALF T0 ROBERT c. CARTER AND GEORGE s. JA IsoN, Bo'rrroE, I

GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK.

oLosURE EoR CLEAN-OUT OPENINGS.

ori inal application filed This invention relates to an improved closure for clean out openings, being a division of my co-pending application for welding torch burner, filed October 16, 1923, Serial No. 668,833. 1 p p The invention seeks, among other objects, to provide a closure which, while being especially adapted for use in connection with .welding torch burners, will also be well adapted for general use, and wherein freezing of the closure will be eliminated, so that, when desired, the closure may be easily and quickly removed.-

The invention seeks, as a further object, to provide a closure which will effect a sealed provided for pressing the plate against said wall to mutilate the plate to conform to the contour of'the opening and forma protected sealed joint between the parts.

Other objects of the invention not specifi-v cally mentioned in the foregoing, will ap-' pear duringthe course of the following description. r

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalseo tional View taken through the burner disclosed in my prior application identified and showing the closure in connection with the burner. i y

Figure 2 is a sectional View on "the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of a typical sealing plate. 7

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I have shown my improved closure in connection with a burner of the character illustrated in my prior application reviously identified, and in order that the fimction of the closure may be better understood, it is well to generally describe the burner. This burner includes a mixing chamber 10 carrying an apertured burner plate 11, and screwed over one end of said chamber is a cap 12 from. which projects a spider 13 carrying a ring 14-. Screwed PATENT OFFICE.

October is, 1923, Serial 110. 668,833. Divided and this application filed October 16, 1925, Serial No. 62,852. Renewed May 25, 1927. v

through the end wall of the cap to extend horizontally within the mixing chamber is a draft tube 15, and screwedint'o the ring 14 1s a valve'casmglfi having a'discharge ori fice 17 disposed opposite the open'outer end of said tube. The casingmountsa valve 18 which is adjustable for regulating flow through said orifice and communicating with the orifice is a passage 19 in the valve casing. Extending above the mixing chamber 10 in parallel relation thereto are gener ating tubes, one of which is. shown at 20. The tube 20 is connected with the valve'casing 16 to communicate with the passage 19 'ofsaid casing and liquid fuel is supplied to the generating tubes so that asthe fuel flows through said tubes, the fuel will be vaporized by the heat 'ofxth'e flame rising from the burner plate '11, the fuel gases being con ducted through the passage '19 of the valve casing to the orifice 17 to be; injected intothe draft tube'15 and thence enter the mixing chamber 10 to'rise through the burner plate.

- In the practical use of burnersof this character," it is frequently found necessary to clean out the generatingtubes as well as clean out" the vaporconducting passage of the valve casing and it, therefore, becomes necessary to provide a removable closure for 'the tubes as well as said passage. As will be appreciated," a like necessity is often encountered in the practical use of burners of types other than that illustrated in the present instance as well as in 'connection'with various other apparatus, and the present invention, therefore,=seeks to provide a closure which will efficiently fulfill the requirements. As

is well known, clean out plugs are prevalently usedv for the purpose and these plugs are screwed into position.

However, as is well known, when such a plug is sub ected to heat, the plug freezes in position with the result that it becomes extremely diflicult to remove the plug and fracture or injury of the parts often result in theattempt. The present improvements accordingly further seek to eliminate this difficulty. In the drawings, I have shown one of the improved closures in connection with the valve casing 16 as well as in connection with the tube 20. However, since both closures are identical, only one will be described in detail, and since the; valve casing as well as the tube provides a duct, the closure structure will be described in conjunction with a duct. Like reference characters are applied to similar parts of both closures illustrated.

Coming now more particularly to the subject of the present improvements, the element or duct to which the closure is applied is integrally formed or otherwise equipped with a bonnet 21. which extends over the clean out opening of the duct, and screwed throu h the bonnet is a clamp screw 22 extending axially of the duct. Overlying the clean out opening of the duct is a flexible sealing plate 23 which is preferably formed of copper or a. metal softer than the metal of the duct, and as will be observed, the screw 22 is adjusted to tightly clamp said plate against the end edge of the wall of the duct. The screw is of a diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the duct and is rounded at its inner end to project into the duct so that when the screw is adjusted to clamp the sealing plate, the sealing plate is bowed into the duct and is sheared more or less between the inner end of the screw and the end edge of the wall of t-heduct so that the plate is thus mutilated at the surface thereof which contacts the edge of the wall of the duct to conform to said edge and provide a protected joint between the plate and duct seal-- ing the duct. Experience has shown that the joint thus formed will, in practical use, not only Withstand fluids at high pressure but will also withstand relatively high temperatures. The importance of these factors in a burner of the character illustrated will be at once appreciated when it is considered that the closure is more or less directly subjected to the action of the flame at the burn.- er plate 11. To remove the sealing plate, the clamp screw 22 is retracted when, by tapping on the sealing plate, said plate may be easily and quickly released and removed, when the duct may be cleaned through the Clean out opening thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a burner, the combination with an element provided with a passage having a clean out opening, a flexible plate overlying said opening, and means pressing the plate intothe opening to seal said opening.

2. In a burner, a duct having a clean out opening, metallic sealing means overlying said opening and having metal to metal contact with said duct for withstanding a high temperature, and means clamping said. sealing means in position closing said opening.

3. In a burner, a duct having a clean out opening, flexible sealing means m erIying said opening, and clamping means bowing said sealing means into the opening for closing said opening.

4. In a burner, a duct having a clean out opening and provided with a bonnet, flexiole plate overlying said opening, and a clamp screw screwed through the bonnet and bowing the plate into said opening for 010s ing the opening.

5. The combination with an elementhaving a clean out opening, of a flexible sealing plate overlying said opening, and means flexing the plate into said opening and clamping said plate in position whereby the plate is tensioned against said element to form a gas-tight seal for said opening.

6. The combination with an element having a clean out opening, of sealing means adapted to be sheared against the wall of said element for sealing said opening, and retaining means for said sealing means.

7. The combination with an element having a clean out opening, of sealing means overlying said opening, and means clamping said sealing means in position and shearing said means against said element to seal said opening. I

8. The combination with a metallic element havinga clean out opening, of a metallic sealing plate overlying said opening and mutilated at its point of contact with said element for sealing said opening, said sealing plate being coinpo'cd of a metal softer thanthe metal of said element, and retaining means for said plate.

In testimony whereof I attix my signature,

CHARLES E. CHAPMAN. [1/6.]

lit) 

